A bumble bee cabinet knob takes shape at Martin Pierce studios

We are adding a bumble bee to our cabinet pull collection of insect pulls. We receive a lot of inquiries from homeowners who want to continue using our bee door knob on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry but at a hefty 3”high  the scale simply does not work. So, starting with our rotund bee knob we have scaled this detailed casting down and made a few other changes to create a modest but hefty 1 ¼” cabinet knob. The original pattern shown here was carved by Martin Pierce in solid blue jewelers wax and a one part mold was used to create red wax replicas. Once shelled the wax copies will be melted and lost to create a vessel for molten bronze.

Bumble bees, contrary to the way we have portrayed the bee door knob, do not produce honey and do not have a honey comb. The bumble bee does create a nest with a small number of chambers for the queen bees eggs and another chamber or pot to store nectar for the developing bees.

Using considerable artistic license to show case our bumble bee door knob

Only the queen bee and female workers have the ability to sting and this occurs rarely unless the bees are antagonized.  The typical life span for a worker bee is 28 days or less but the Queen and hive have an annual life span with the Queen laying eggs throughout the year. During the summer months the Queen will lay Queen eggs which when they emerge will mate with the male drones who will develop a new hive and bee colony.

Animal and floral unique cabinet pulls

Our new cabinet pull website section makes plain the theme-based nature of Martin Pierce’s designs. For door hardware, after the initial design concept, the direction of each collection was dictated by functionality with each style needing to work as entry way handles, passageway levers and privacy levers and door knob sets. Cabinet pulls and knobs all perform the same function to open and close cabinet drawers and doors and this simple dictate allows for greater design freedom and whimsy.
Bamboo dresser pulls
All of our cabinet or dresser pulls are made to order as we are a limited production company and are very hands on, thus ensuring the high quality of each piece. The same does not hold true for the bamboo plant that was used to model the cabinet pull shown below. We are in the process of trying to eradicate this very resilient and invasive plant that regretfully was planted as a border plant and now threatens to extend its domain to include our entire garden. So, if you love the look of bamboo consider a more limited production version.

Orchid kitchen cabinet pull
In contrast to our bamboo plant our orchids are not very hardy and very selective as to when they flower and this may explain why we are so drawn to their beauty. Modelled on the orchids on display at the conservatory in the Huntington gardens a place worth visiting for it’s rich variety of tropical plants and trees.